Why Thomas Tuchel Was Left Disappointed During Chelsea's United States Pre-Season Tour
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is said to have been disappointed by the surface that his side were training on during their pre-season tour of the United States.
The Blues had a fairly unsuccessful pre-season in America, at least on the pitch, as Tuchel’s side fell to an embarrassing 4-0 defeat against Premier League rivals Arsenal on the final match of their tour.
Chelsea began the tour in Los Angeles before travelling to Las Vegas to face Club America in a 2-1 victory before flying for a camp in Orlando.
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From here, they travelled to Charlotte to face Charlotte FC, losing on penalties, before returning to Orlando for the final match.
The details within the camp have now been revealed, with head coach Tuchel said to be unhappy about certain aspects of the Blues’ training regime.
Chelsea travelled to Los Angeles at the beginning of pre-season to undergo their two-week Stateside tour.
As reported by Adam Newson, Tuchel was unhappy with the quality of the playing surface during their time on the east coast.
His side trained on the Drake Stadium pitch at UCLA, a venue used by countless clubs in the past years, however, Tuchel did not see this as up to the quality required for his team’s needs.
The Blues spent half of their tour training here before moving to Orlando to conclude the camp.
It is clear that Tuchel was not impressed with the tour of the United states, revealing that he is not sure whether his side will be ready for the first match of the Premier League season.
Speaking after the match against Arsenal, he said: “We were absolutely not competitive. The worrying part is the level of commitment, physically and mentally, for this match was not the same, it was far higher for Arsenal than us.
"We can argue they played with I think their strongest line-up; they've had now together several weeks and for more than one year. They've strengthened their line-up, played the same structure, and this is the line-up they'll try to start Premier League games.
"It was not our strongest lineup and this is part of an explanation but only a little part. The other part is worrying."
He then continued to discuss the Premier League opener at Goodison Park, stating: “I can not guarantee,” when asked if they will be ready for the first match of the season.
It remains to be seen as to where Chelsea will be come the start of the 2022/23 season, with it clear that the head coach is hopeful of making further additions to his squad this summer.
Topics: Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Football
Nick Emms